Lowry seizing moment

Just last season, Chicago Fire midfielder Peter Lowry played in less than one third of his team's games and logged less than 700 minutes while taking in a minuscule $20,100 salary.

Through five matches, Lowry is playing a pivotal role for the Fire midfield as a regular starter. And with key components such as Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Chris Rolfe out of the Fire's picture entering this year, that opened the door for some new blood in the team's starting midfield core.

"I didn't get many opportunities the first couple of years," Lowry said. "And so when I step on the field, I want to let everyone know that I can play. The last coach [Denis Hamlett], I didn't get many chances, and so I wanted to show in preseason and this year that I'm an impact player to help the team win. It's been a different role this year."

Lowry's opportunity also arose when the midfield was struck with some key injuries to John Thorrington and Logan Pause in the early going. Combine that with Fire head coach Carlos de los Cobos going with a heavy midfield formation (4-5-1) these past two matches, and the 24-year-old is seizing the moment every time he gets the